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[ble]

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[rajillustration]

I think you also need to know where there's a place in the market that needs to be filled. And what a market needs will be different for each place that you post. Learning what that is can be mostly trial and error, but also can be found by asking around for help or asking for ideas and just brainstorming it out to see where you can fit into this big ol puzzle (which changes all the time. Our interests change a ton)

When it comes to Branding--there's a lot of ways to do that. I used to sell on Etsy more, and that was a really good experience in learning how to brand myself. So, while it's not about comics, I really highly recommend reading what they have to say about it because it's comics adjacent. It's a business skill that people just expect artists to intuitively have, but graphic design and branding aren't really the same as illustration, and for me it was a learned skill--probably the skill that I'm the worst at of all my skills--that I'm still learning all the time.

The Ultimate Guide to Branding

but without a focus for what your career goals are, you can't brand. I've heard Branding as defined similar to storytelling, where you want to unify your work under one umbrella. You're telling a story. You're selling a style. That's a lot easier to do if you are actually a storyteller.

I really like the YouTube videos by Bernadette Banner, and she went into depth about how she got successful so quickly, and honestly it was her branding, her storytelling. She wanted to make a place where you felt like you were going back in time with her videos, and that branding helped her although what she makes are just...sewing videos.

So branding is about immersion through presentation. It's about making a welcoming environment that is so uniquely you, that people can see your posts on their feed and go "I know who that is" without actually looking at your username. Whatever that presentation or environment will be is up to you, and how deep you want to take your branding is also up to you. I don't actually go that deep into branding as other people, because I find it exhausting to do, for reals, it's really hard--but for some it's like their bread and butter. They freakin love that branding stuff and I hope one day to learn their magics.

Like if you look at comics that are really good at branding, so Homestuck I think is a good example of this, everyone knows what a Homestuck is. I know what Homestuck looks like, and I've never read it. When you look at any post made by Tracy Butler that has anything remotely to do with Lackadaisy--it has the same graphic design elements. It's all cohesive. Same thing with Dummy's Dummy, or Devil's Candy, or Lore Olypmus. Those styles are similar to styles we're used to--we never feel jarred or uncomfortable--but they're different enough for us to go "I know who that is!"

So it's not easy. Branding is REALLY hard and it means you have to take a risk and jump from the norm just enough to still be relatable but also different. Hahaha. But the path to branding I think gives a lot of good experience, and can be really inspiring for projects you may want to do down the road.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

Having no crippling self doubt also would be nice
It holds you back with a significant amount of force, that you'd be failing before even trying. Or even if you did try, it can stilt your growths and worsen your image (people love display of confidence, no matter how shallow I think it is).

Many artists has been conditioned to think that their crafts are insignificant, quartenary-needs, a thing that everyone can do, just a hobby/passion so there's no pain of doing it, or that they should be grateful if anyone pay for it. While you can unlearn self-doubt, be confident, learn to assert your rights, and just know your worth; it is not easy and many fail to do so (hello!)

[Puck]

All kind of people need illustrations. restaurants, shop owners, musicians, the list is endless.
Have a distinctive style, make a portfolio, offer your service.
When I restarted drawing I started to make black & white portraits of everyone I know,
I took their facebook pictures as reference and put it in the same frame as a trademark
and made it black and white. Then people asked me to do their profile picture to use
it on facebook or instagram, then people who I didn´t know asked me to do their profile
picture and I started charging money for it. Then people asked me to draw other
illustrations for them.
That´s not what I intended to do when I started, I wanted to publish comics and
make money from that, but first I realized that I was not at the point that I could
do comics in a consistant style and I didn´t want to publish things under my
name which I don´t like and second it´s a very hard way to make money

[feuersichel]

I think, the frustration has alot to do on what we see just now. Like those super popular artists? They pretty much have struggled in the beginning aswell (exept the ultra lucky ones maybe). We see them only in the "now-world" but not the maybe even years before that. I see it with my own art when I started here as a beginner and improved my art alot. I'm on this platform now for four years and just recently got over 100 subs ( yesss!). I have to say though, I didn't much in the sense of marketing, maybe I could have had much more subs if I did. But I like it that way as I'm not a social person and don't like to use twitter etc. that much ^^'

Marketing is the point though. Marketing-TALENT and luck. The art itself doesn't even matter that much I think.

Just posting your comic everywhere doesn't guarantee success though. If it's just "here is my comic, read it" people might even find it annoying. But I think, there are enough videos on how to promote your stuff correctly.

The other important thing is patience and resistance to frustration. As I wrote before, it even can take years, especially as a beginner, to have a good fanbase to earn money. That's why I have a job, that alows me to grow in the time I need and don't have to rely only in art.

[Zak]

I believe artists need clinical depression and anxiety in order to make a living being creative. Or at least it comes with it. lol

[gmaximin]

I think this isn't limited to artists... in any field to increase your revenue you'll always need:
- strong basic skills
- a marketing plan and communication strategy (yes~). Start from your p's (or whatever new theories pushed nowadays... in the end, it's really about having the right product for the right market at the right place and time...)
- relentless effort to create/adjust/create/adjust/create... and even more effort to throw yourself out there. I don't think it is shallow confidence, but you must believe in what you're doing to carry others...
- and last but not least, some luck (but that come when all other things are in place)...

[Eiranyx]

Marketing plan and communication skills to make connections. --- Think about it, first of all one should always remember when you're monetizing your creations is that you aren't selling your art to yourself, you're selling it to other people so you don't plan your market based only on your preferences, you plan it for other people -- so based it on what people prefer or what type of people are you marketing for.
You just don't post your art and wait for people to miraculously notice it because first of all, a lot of people wants to be unique, everybody is unique in their own way but only a few stands out. Why? Because they know how to market themselves and put themselves out there in a way that they know themselves enough to make a lasting impression.--- it's not overconfidence, its the right amount of confidence to show that you know your product well enough that's why you know how to market it to the right people, at the right time and the right place.
Don't be afraid to adapt your work to fit the market trend, if you're creative enough to create things, then you are creative enough to make something unique/groundbreaking while still being able to adapt to the market --- you don't loose yourself just because of following a trend/ what people are into, it is a skill and a strategy.
Creative people have a hard time monetizing their creativity -- that quote is true because the creativity it is pertaining to is the creativity that fulfills only the creator's satisfaction / sense of fulifillmemt -- it's not because they lack creativity, but rather because they tend to not be as 'creative' as they need to be on the things/factor that they need to be creative into in order to make a lasting impression in the market.
And lastly --- working hard isn't always the case, you need to work smarter.

[cookieroach]

I think the answer is the same regardless if you try to monetize your art or other skills:

• Provide something of value to people

Marketing and branding helps people become aware of your product and that you exist, but it's not the answer to making money. And even if you make something you love, doesn't mean it's valuable to other people. Think about how you can help other people and improve their lifes, not about how you can become rich and famous

[Kaydreamer]

There are a few key things I've noticed in the work, marketing and attitudes of the successful artists I follow, which I think hold true in most instances.

Skill
You have to be skilled at what you do. That doesn't necessarily mean skilled in every aspect of it, but in the aspect most vital to its success. Think of humour comics. Not all of those artists are skilled artists. But what they are skilled in is comedy. Beat, pacing, juxtaposition, relatability, and twisting the absurd - all of those things are more important than the art for such a comic strip. (Though nice art certainly helps!)

If you want to write story-driven comics, you need skill in both art and how to write a compelling story. Pace, tone, characterisation. Avoiding stale clichés, writing convincing and emotive dialogue, creating an interesting narrative - all of these are vital skills if you want to attract and maintain a readership. And, of course, writing a story nobody else is telling. Joining a writers group - one which gives honest critique - is a good idea here.

As for art, you need solid fundamental skills. A lot of artists with simple visual styles nevertheless have impeccable design language skills underpinning that style - shape, balance, colour theory and composition being the strongest. Artists with more detailed illustrative styles will also have these, along with an eye for form, lighting, volume and depth, among others. Drawing from life is the best possible advice I can give anyone, regardless of how simple or complex they intend for their style to be. You become skilled by training that skill, so - train.

Marketing
The big thing with marketing, and the thing which will save you from wasting years of your life chasing the coat-tails of trends set by other artists, is to know what it is you are offering to people in your work. Why do they want to look at your work? Why do they want to read your story? What do you aim to give them? An adventure? A calming escape from the doldrums of reality? A belly-laugh? All of the above? For me, I know what I am giving my audience with my work overall, as well as with each page. I know who my stories will appeal to. As such, I know which market which wants what I have to give. (It's middle-grade to YA fantasy/adventure graphic novels. I may be new to it, but it's been a duck-to-water process so far. I picked the right field.)

The other thing with marketing - and this is a big one, which is hard to achieve - is that you do not want to chase trends! I know 'find your own voice' is very ephemeral advice, but I'm not suggesting you launch a search party for it. Rather, spend time exploring. It may take years, but in time, you'll begin to form a clearer picture of who you are as an artist, and what you have to offer. Chasing trends may pay the bills, but you will likely burn out, and you're not likely to achieve the acclaim of those who set the trends in the first place.

Attitude
You know how, when you're desperately looking for something, and you can't find it anywhere, but when you give up looking that thing seems to pop back out of the void and fall into your lap? Yeah, art is like that. If you fixate on a rush to success, especially to the point where your natural creativity and drive to explore become stifled, you're much less likely to find a path that's both creatively satisfying and marketable. Like Lyra and her alethiometer, you have to still your mind. Drift through the creative process. Don't blind yourself to your goals, but allow them to float to the side. They're less important than your creativity.

Of course, you have to pay your bills too. I'm entering into professional illustration rather late - I already have a degree in teaching, so I teach two days a week. That covers rent, bills and food. I want my art and writing to start making a liveable wage, but I've accepted that point may be years away, and there is no reliable way to rush the process. Whatever you do to make ends meet is valid, be it commission work, a part-time job, or what have you. Just make sure it leaves you with enough energy to create.

[darthmongoose]

I've worked in the industry for years. Here's what I've learned:

• You need to be humble. Sometimes on your path where you hope to one day be a famous comic artist making work that wins an Eisner award you're going to find yourself drawing a portrait of somebody's dog. I have drawn probably about five portraits of people's dogs in my career, but those clients paid me and I treated them with respect and they were very happy and got those portraits printed and put on the wall and recommended me to people. Never go in with the mindset that you're too good for small jobs, or that doing small jobs is a failure. Don't be afraid to advertise yourself locally, on a local message board or similar. Small businesses often would love an artist but didn't even think that they, average Joe shop owner could commission a professional artist to do them an illo for an advert at a reasonable price, or Betty down the road didn't know she could get a manga portrait of her weeb nephew as a really cool and unique birthday gift so easily from somebody on her street!

• You need to have self respect. Don't beg for $5 commissions like you're some charity case. Hold your head high and say "I will do you professional quality art, my prices start from $25, here is my website." If somebody says "can you do it for $5?" the answer is NO. You'd be better working in a supermarket part time and drawing portfolio pieces for yourself than taking rubbish cheap commissions for cheap people. Never work for anyone who approaches you offering "exposure", if somebody can't afford to pay you for work, they're not going to give you exposure worth a damn (the only reason to work for free is if YOU approach somebody and offer to donate them your time and expertise for free because you care about them or their idea or cause, like a friend, family member, charity etc.). If you act like a professional and value yourself like a professional as well as having professional skills, people will see you as one and pay you like one.

• Work hard and self-reflect. This is hard because of the Dunning-Kreuger Effect. People who have learned a little bit about a subject vastly overestimate their competence, then people are intermediate level tend to hugely underestimate their level of ability, so if you think you're hot shit, you're probably not great, and if you think you're awful, you're probably actually pretty decent. Only people with the level of mastery of a seasoned pro typically have anything close to a realistic appraisal of their actual ability level. In other words, keep working, there's always room for improvement.

• Have a brand, but be flexible. I've done work on comics, games, tech events, workshops, books... all sorts of things and in a range of styles. If somebody needs cute mascots, I can do those, if they need a painting of their D&D character, I can do that, if they need a sketchnote summarising their podcast or presentation on some esoteric concept, or a comic to explain a shop's ordering system or a pitch for and indie film... I work on all sorts of things and am happy to take jobs that aren't necessarily the action comics that are my main interest. I'm very flexible and try to develop skills to help me to that, BUT I still maintain a fairly consistent brand.
  Kate Holden is: Bold, colourful, family-friendly, approachable and down-to-earth ordinary Northern English "lass", well suited to humour and action, cares about technical accuracy, supports progressive social justice causes.
  That brand is consistent. I don't do sexy, ecchi, gore and my work tends to be quite down-to-earth and chunky, so while I'm flexible, people know what to expect from me. If you try to make out like you can do anything at all, clients think you're lying or get overwhelmed, so sell them the things you do best and showcase the areas you really shine.

• You have to be EASY TO FIND. A lot of jobs come from people who want an artist on a project but haven't the foggiest idea where to even start looking, and if you're an easy artist to find on google or whatever, you will get work from it. Have an easy to find, easy to navigate website, be clear about what you can do and be easy to contact. Have a consistent image and name across different social media. I know somebody who made an absolute mint by bagging a domain name that was something like "manga portraits dot com" or similar early, before anyone else thought of it. She got so much business!

[surenlicious]

First thing first, throw the "its so hard to be an artist" trope out of the window. This nonsense is such a plague in the industry, its past high time it sunk into the sea.

Yes you require skill, you require to build your brand, but so too is needing to network and build your community. This is a process, and matters not if you write or just make a comic, EVERY one of us can make money with their craft. I've seen people make good money regardless of their skill because of their persistence with their network building.

I work as a graphic designer so initially wasn't planning on using my art (or writing!) to make money out off, but last year for the first time I noticed I was making my income with my art rather than my job as a graphic designer. My art saved my ass, and I didn't realize my brand had become known.

Lastly, everybody out there has their own idea on how to make money of your work. Believe me when I say this world is flexible as a willow's branch, you can find your own way and be happy with it too. Don't let some industry hotshot or marketing guru dictate all of your moves. Your way may very well work out too.

Success looks different to everyone, that's the beauty of it.

[LCT_m_a_d]

I've never been a really good artist but I used to do portraits for money. Hopefully this might help some people with "how do I market".

This of course isn't for everyone. Especially those who specifically want to build a large online audience, but it's a little-bit of a lost art that I've found very effective.

The most important thing for me was having a specific presentation as a creator. I'm not talking about promotion, websites and logos. (Although that does help). I mean narrowing yourself down to always doing xyz in your art. Not just being a "good artists" or "character penciler". For example. The guy who always creates digital sketches of cars with a sharp edges in a city. (That's very specific and speaks to integrity)

Also while developing your brand, it means not doing (or showcasing) other things. Maybe 1 other thing to show you are a human and enjoy living. But keep the identity and distractions to a minimal.
It sounds counter-intuitive to reduce your market size and inventory. It also seems counter-intuitive to care what people think about your art. But it makes effective branding very easy to develop. It also brings joy in perfecting what you do while meeting your client expectations. It also means less pressure to get things done to impress people, and more time to do what you love to make your clients happy. And when you're the only one who offers what you do at such skill it lets you take control over your business and re-direct inquiries to other artists in your circles (the best form of "networking").